1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a fuel injection control apparatus for an engine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fuel injection control apparatus configured to suppress longitudinal vibration of a vehicle occurring due to a resumption of a fuel supply from a state in which the fuel supply has been stopped.
2. Background Information
In a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission that engages a lockup clutch when an accelerator of the vehicle is in a released state (off) and the vehicle is moving due to momentum, i.e., coasting, a longitudinal vibration generally occurs in the vehicle when the accelerator pedal is depressed (turned on) while the vehicle is in a coasting state with the lockup clutch engaged. In order to suppress the longitudinal vibration, the fuel supply is stopped with respect to a cylinder that is expected to undergo combustion immediately before the torsional vibration of the drive train reaches a first peak. In this conventional technology, the resumption of the fuel supply is used as a trigger for stopping fuel to the cylinder that is expected to undergo combustion immediately before the torsional vibration of the drive train reaches a first peak. An example of this type of fuel injection control is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-252514.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved fuel injection control apparatus. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.